Andy Murray first British man to win SPOTY since 2012

After 12 long months of hurt, Andy Murray has been crowned Sports Personality of the Year, becoming the first Brit to win the award since 2012.

Murray saw off fierce competition from Leigh Halfpenny and Mo Farah to carry the trophy home for the UK, forever winning the affection of the British Public in the process. “I know how much this meant to you guys” a tearful Murray commented. “I came so close last year – a lot of people wrote me off. How was I going to compete with Usain Bolt or Sebastian Vettel? Well, neither of those people are British, so I didn’t have to.”

“I never thought I’d see the day” said Tim Henman, 1997 runner-up. “A British man, holding that BBC trophy again, after all this time.”

“It’s been a year of intense soul searching for British Sport” he continued “Could we do it again? Were we hungry enough? Well we’ve silenced the critics. If there’s one thing we’ve proved about Britain’s Sportsman, it’s that under pressure, we deliver every time.”